The Federal Government has commissioned a garment factory in Ilorin, Kwara State, with the capacity to create at least 4,000 jobs when operating at full capacity.
The government also commissioned the 11-storey Kwara Revenue Service House as part of activities marking the turbaning of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq as the first Sardauna of Ilorin by the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, who commissioned the projects on Wednesday, commended AbdulRazaq for sustaining a legacy of continuity in the state.
Speaking at the turbaning ceremony at the Emir’s Palace in Ilorin, Shettima recalled the contributions of the governor’s late father, Alhaji AbdulGaniyu Folorunsho AbdulRazaq, SAN, describing him as Northern Nigeria’s first lawyer and the first Mutawalle of Ilorin.
“His father was the first Mutawalle of Ilorin, a title that remains in the family in celebration of their bond with the Emirate. Today, another chapter enters the family’s relationship with this palace,” Shettima said.
The Vice President said the conferment of the Sardauna title on AbdulRazaq reflected the continuity of the family’s relationship with the Ilorin Emirate.
“As Governor AbdulRazaq receives his turban, we remember those who preceded him, and we offer prayers for the generations who will encounter this occasion through the stories their elders preserve,” he said.
Shettima also highlighted his friendship with AbdulRazaq, saying their relationship goes beyond ceremonial engagements to discussions on issues affecting the country.
“There is something sobering about celebrating a friend while both of you remain answerable to the demands of public office. Titles will eventually pass into the record of our lives. The human bonds formed along the way should endure beyond the appointments through which other people first came to know us,” he said.
Speaking on the role of the National Economic Council, Shettima said the Federal Government and states must continue to work together in addressing economic and development challenges.
“At the National Economic Council, our responsibilities meet in discussions concerning the federation and its states. We consider how economic proposals connect with implementation, financing and the circumstances of communities,” he said.
He added, “A federation is sustained through the patient conversation between those who share responsibility for its people. No boundary on an administrative map can divide the dignity Nigerians are entitled to expect.”
The Vice President also commended AbdulRazaq’s role as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, noting that his engagements with the Federal Government and development partners were ultimately about meeting the needs of Nigerians.
He said the governor’s governance record in Kwara covered education, healthcare and road infrastructure.
“These are chapters in the story of a state as its people encounter it: the lesson a child can attend, the treatment a household can seek, and the market a farmer can reach,” Shettima said.
He stressed the need for such investments to be sustained so that future generations could build on them.
“A legacy takes its fullest measure in the generations it continues to serve,” he added.
The ceremony was attended by governors of Imo, Kebbi, Plateau, Ekiti, Ogun, Niger, Bayelsa and Kaduna states.
Other dignitaries included the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented by the wife of the Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima; Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment, Jumoke Oduwole; Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; Emir of Zazzau, Nuhu Bamalli; and the Soun of Ogbomoso, Oba Ghandi Afọlábí Ọlaoye, Orumogege III.